Ok so I have a pattern that calls for worsted wool weight yarn, and size 13 needles, and you're supposed to use 2 strands at once. The problem is that I can only find worsted wool thats thin (like normal yarn thin) and the result I get is very "fishnet like". Extremely loose! Are there thicker yarns that I should be using? The pattern does call for felting at the end, which I've never done before. Does felting get rid of this fish net looseness? Help! :??

When you felt it, it will pull together quite a bit and fill in all the holes. You can always knit up a little swatch using the 2 strands of the yarn with the size 13 needles and try felting that to make sure that it looks the way you'd like!

as u 'felt' the wool will shrink...have u ever had a favorite sweater or something & put it in the washing machine when the washing directions said hand wash only?....the result...your garment becomes much smaller and looks rather like 'felt' as we know it....this is what u r going to be doing in your project, just on purpose. it's an excellent idea to do just as mer said and knit up a swatch with the 2 strands held together as directions say, on your size 13 needs....bind off and felt away. remember, when u r felting and yhour washing machine reaches the agitation phase, check periodically to see if your item has felted and/or shrunk to your satisfaction....sometimes it will not take the entire agitation phase of the washer....sometimes it takes doing it more than once....any help...or did i just confuse u?!

I third (fourth?) the felting/loose knit reasons... a lot of the felted patterns I've seen call for big needles. one of my LYSs told me that the loose stitch is necessary so the yarn has sufficient room to "rub upon itself" in the wash. good luck Kilgore_Trout! I felting!

Thanks for your help guys! It sounds like I just need to trust the pattern. I actually only have the size 11 circ, not 13, but I think I'm gonna try it anyways...? My yarn source here in Berlin is less than well stocked with assorted needles, anything bigger than 6mm and you can forget it. And this felting thing should work with any 100% worsted wool yarn, huh?

What is it that you are making, Kilgore? Because, if its something that has to fit, like slippers, that needle size is gonna be important. Unless you just dont felt it as much, but then your sts are most likely going to show in the finished product, which kinda defeats the purpose of the felting. Check out the pics in my blog thread of the fiber trends clogs I made....you can see how huge and loose the pre-felted things are, and compare them to the FOs.

Any 100% wool that is not super washedwill felt. Make sure that the wool is marked "hand wash only".My other thought is that usually double strands of worsted wool on a size 11 needle should not look really fishnet. It will be slightly loose, but not open weave.

MaryB....thats what I'm saying! Double strand worsted woll seems like it should fit size 11 needles? Is there a standard gauge for the yarn or am I using something WAY too thin? The results are definetely fishnetty. I'm making a tote bag so fitting perfectly is not an issue, I just want it to be more or less the right size so I don't end up with a tiny bag...

It sounds like I'm having the opposite problem. I knitted up a swatch with 2 strands of Paton Merino wool (I thought it would be perfect to felt). But there is absolutely no fishnet look about it. I'm not a "tight" knitter, I don't think, but the two strands worked up to a very thick, even swatch. There's no guage on the pattern (its a felted hat), should I size up the needles to get a looser knit??

Well I'm excited about all the input. I think my problem really is my yarn. I'm living in Germany and I think I've found the german "worsted" yarn, but it is quite thin. If my double strand with size 11 needles is coming out very fishnetty, I've definetely got a problem. Stacy sounds like shes making what I'm making.Would someone be so kind as to measure their worsted weight wool in milimeters and tell me how wide/thick it is, roughly? THANKS!

Test swatch is in the works, but I think I might be wasting my time with this yarn...

KT, check this link. It talks abouts wraps per inch. Apparently US worsted wool should equate to 12 WPI. There are other equivalents for sport, fingering, etc. I have a pattern where the yardage of calculated by WPI (it's one o f those knit to fit you things using any needle/yarn)

Maybe if you Google worsted weight yarn in germany, you'd get some sort of equivalent. Perhaps they call it something different in Europe.

Here is a picuture of the tote before I felt it. (The tote is in the spin cycle as I type this.. :shock: ) I get so nervous. I put the box of tissue in the picture to get an idea of how big the tote is right now.